Month: September 2022

Bruce Springsteen announced on Thursday (Sept. 29) that he’ll be releasing an album of classic R&B/soul covers on Nov. 11 called Only the Strong Survive. In a video announcing his 21st studio album, Springsteen explained that shortly after recording Letter To You with the E Street Band during the COVID-19 lockdown, he went into his home studio to record music he hadn’t written, but wanted to record.

The result is a 15-song album of songs by Jerry Butler, Dobie Gray, The Commodores, Jimmy Ruffin, Diana Ross & the Supremes, The Four Tops, The Walker Brothers, The Temptations and more. He’s joined on two tracks by Sam & Dave vocalist Sam Moore, as well as the E Street Horns and backing vocalists Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell, Michelle Moore, Curtis King Jr., Dennis Collins and Fonzi Thornton. The project was recorded at Springsteen’s Thrill Hill Recording in New Jersey and produced by Ron Aniello, engineered by Rob Lebret and executive produced by the singer’s longtime manager, Jon Landau.

“This was something I hadn’t done since the Seeger Sessions,” he said of the format of the new project while nodding to his Grammy-winning 2006 album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, a collection of folk songs made famous by Pete Seeger that was the Boss’ first-ever collection of tracks he didn’t write. Christening the team who worked on the project “The Night Shift,” Springsteen said the crew worked in their “off hours.”

“Before I knew it, I had an album done,” he said, before noting that he threw that one out, because “that’s how I roll.” The second time around, however, he found an appropriate theme he wanted to explore. “Now I’d spent my working life, with my voice, at the service of my songs, confined by my arrangements, by my melodies, by my compositions and by my constructions — my voice always came second, third, or fourth to the expression of those elements,” he explained.

This time, however, the 73-year-old rock icon decided to do something he’d never done before: record music that is firmly centered around singing. “Around challenging my voice,” he said, noting that in his 2016 memoir, Born to Run, he gave his voice “short shrift” by saying he didn’t think he had much of one. But once he started on this project, Springsteen said in his signature rasp, he thought, “my voice is badass! I’m 73-year-old, I’m kickin’ ass! I’m a good ole man!”

That epiphany came courtesy of classic soul music, one of the most crucial early building blocks of rock and a personal touchstone for the Boss. Springsteen said he leaned into the vocals as his recording team, “mastered and sonically modernized some of the most beautiful songs in the American pop song book. I had so much fun recording this music. I fell back in love with all these great songs and great writers and great singers. All of them still underrated in my opinion. And through the project I rediscovered the power of my own voice.”

The E Street Band will kick off an international tour in Feb. 2023, which a release said has already sold 1.6 million tickets in the U.S. and Europe.

Check out the Only the Strong Survive track list, album cover, Springsteen’s announcement video and his soaring cover of Frank Wilson’s “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” below:

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Only the Strong Survive tracklist:

1. “Only the Strong Survive” (Jerry Butler)

2. “Soul Days” feat. Sam Moore (Dobie Gray)

3. “Nightshift” (The Commodores)

4. “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” (Frank Wilson)

5. “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” (The Walker Brothers)

6. “Turn Back the Hands of Time” (Tyrone Davis)

7. “When She Was My Girl” (The Four Tops)

8. “Hey, Western Union Man” (Jerry Butler)

9. “I Wish It Would Rain” (The Temptations)

10. “Don’t Play That Song” (Aretha Franklin)

11. “Any Other Way” (Jackie Shane)

12. “I Forgot to Be Your Lover” feat. Sam Moore (William Bell)

13. “7 Rooms of Gloom” (The Four Tops)

14. “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” (Jimmy Ruffin)

15. “Someday We’ll Be Together” (Diana Ross & The Supremes)

Wet Leg, Stormzy, Rina Sawayama, Nova Twins and Nia Archives were among the winners at the 2022 AIM Independent Music Awards, which were held at London’s Roundhouse on Wednesday (Sept. 28). The awards recognize the U.K. independent music sector.

On their win for U.K. independent breakthrough, Wet Leg said via videolink: “Thanks so much for the breakthrough award. It’s been a really wild year for us and we just want to take this opportunity to thank our team and all the other members of our new-found family. As a great man once said, ‘To infinity and beyond!’”

Stormzy was honored as diversity champion for using his platform to level the playing field in the music industry. Collecting his award via video link, Stormzy said: “I encourage everyone in the room today to not just use diversity as a buzzword. Whatever position you lot are in, whatever roles you might play, try to be a real driving factor for it and not just see it as a quota or a box to tick and really see the worth and value in being diverse. Thank you to the AIM Awards and to God be the glory.”

This year marked the introduction of two new categories: best independent EP/mixtape and music entrepreneur of the year, won by Scottish producer Taahliah‘s Angelica (untitled (recs)) and Corey Johnson (CEO & founder of Defenders Ent.), respectively. The latter is recognized for his work founding The Digital Holdings studio to create a safe space in the U.K. rap scene.

The show included performances from The Libertines, Lethal Bizzle and Pixey.

In opening this year’s ceremony, AIM CEO Paul Pacifico said: “Tonight is about us as a community celebrating the incredible successes of the world-beating U.K. independent music sector. It is a hugely competitive market out there, but we understand that we are stronger together and a win for one of us is a win for all of us.”

Here’s a complete list of 2022 nominees with winners marked:

Best independent album

Boj – Gbagada Express (Moves Recordings)

Children Of Zeus – Balance (First Word Records)

WINNER: Cleo Sol  – Mother (Forever Living Originals)

Dave – We’re All Alone in This Together (Neighbourhood Recordings)

Dave Okumu – Knopperz (Transgressive Records)

Emma-Jean Thackray – Yellow (Movementt)

Mustafa – When Smoke Rises (Young)

Nilüfer Yanya – Painless (ATO Records)

SAULT – NINE (Forever Living Originals)

Walt Disco – Unlearning (Lucky Number)

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Best independent track

Anz – “You Could Be” (ft. George Riley) (Ninja Tune)

Dave – “Starlight” (Neighbourhood Recordings)

FKA twigs – “tears in the club” ft. the weeknd (Young)

Jeshi – “Protein” feat. Obongjayar (Because Music)

Knucks, SL – “Nice & Good” (No Days Off)

WINNER: Nova Twins – “Antagonist” (Marshall Records)

Overmono – “So U Kno” (XL Recordings)

Wet Leg – “Chaise Longue” (Domino Recording Company)

Wu-Lu – “Broken Homes” (Warp Records)

Yves Tumor – “Jackie” (Warp Records)

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U.K. independent breakthrough

Children of Zeus (First Word Records)

Knucks (No Days Off)

Nova Twins (Marshall Records)

Warmduscher (Bella Union)

WINNER: Wet Leg (Domino Recording Company)

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International breakthrough

Amyl & the Sniffers (Rough Trade)

WINNER: Blxst (Red Bull Records)

Kokoroko (Brownswood Recordings)

Mdou Moctar (Matador Records)

Mitski (Dead Oceans)

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Best live performer

Ben Böhmer (Anjunadeep)

IDLES (Partisan Records)

WINNER: Mitski (Dead Oceans)

Shao Dow (DiY Gang Entertainment)

The Hu (Better Noise)

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Best [difficult] second album

Black Country, New Road  – Ants From Up There (Ninja Tune)

Jana Rush – Painful Enlightenment (Planet Mu Records)

WINNER: Nilüfer Yanya – Painless (ATO Records)

Ross From Friends – Tread (Brainfeeder)

Tirzah – Colourgrade (Domino Recording Company)

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Best independent EP/mixtape

FKA twigs – CAPRISONGS (Young)

Joy Orbison – still slipping vol.1 (XL Recordings)

Surya Sen – At What Cost? (Skint Records)

WINNER: TAAHLIAH – Angelica (untitled (recs))

Wesley Joseph – ULTRAMARINE (EEVITWINN)

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Best independent remix

ATO / FLOHIO remix of ATO – “no caroline” (MCMXCV)

Mura Masa remix of Erika de Casier – “Polite” (4AD)

WINNER: Champion remix of Ibeyi – “Lavender & Red Roses ft. Jorja Smith” (XL Recordings)

Thom Yorke “Man on Fire” remix of MF DOOM – ‘Gazzillion Ear’ (Lex Records)

Kaydy Cain remix of Shygirl – “BDE” (Because Music)

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One to watch

Barry Can’t Swim (Technicolour / Ninja Tune)

Jeshi (Because Music)

Léa Sen (Partisan Records)

WINNER: Nia Archives (HIJINXX)

TAAHLIAH (untitled (recs))

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Best independent video

Arlo Parks – “Softly” (Transgressive Records)

Ibeyi – “Made of Gold ft. Pa Salieu” (XL Recordings)

WINNER: Jeshi – “3210” (Because Music)

Wesley Joseph – “Cold Summer” (Secretly Canadian)

FKA twigs – “tears in the club” ft. the weeknd (Young)

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PPL award for most played new independent artist

Arlo Parks (Transgressive Records)

WINNER: D.O.D (Axtone Records)

KC Lights (Toolroom Productions)

Rathbone Place (Good Company Records)

Wet Leg (Domino Recording Company)

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Best creative campaign

Fontaines D.C. – “Skinty Fia” campaign from Partisan Records

WINNER: Maylee Todd – “Maloo” campaign from Stones Throw Records

Mitski – “Laurel Hell” campaign from Dead Oceans

Obongjayar – “Some Nights I Dream of Doors” campaign from September Recordings

Radiohead – “KID A MNESIA” campaign from XL Recordings

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Best independent label

Domino Recording Company

Ninja Tune

Partisan Records

WINNER: Rough Trade Records

Soundway Records

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Best boutique label

Chess Club

Edition Records

Finesse Foreva

WINNER: Local Action

Rough Bones

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Music entrepreneur of the year

WINNER: Corey Johnson – CEO & founder of Defenders Ent.

Jamie Oborne – founder of Dirty Hit/All On Red Management

Karen Emanuel – CEO & founder of Key Production

Laura Lewis-Paul – CEO & founder of Saffron Music

Peter Adarkwah – label owner of BBE Music

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And here are the recipients of five non-competitive awards:

Diversity champion: Stormzy

Innovator award: Rina Sawayama

Outstanding contribution to music: Lethal Bizzle

Special recognition: The Libertines (Rough Trade)

Independent champion: Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot of [PIAS]

Spoiler alert: This story contains information about contestants eliminated on Wednesday’s (Sept. 28) episode of The Masked Singer.

The cutthroat format of season 8 of The Masked Singer is unforgiving. With just one vocalist moving forward from each episode, Wednesday night’s go-round saw the early bouncing of an international boy band superstar who has sold more than 70 million albums.

The “Vegas Night” episode opened with season 1 runner-up Donnie Osmond singing a medley of “The Greatest Show” and Elvis’ classic Sin City homage “Viva Las Vegas” alongside dancing human dice and showgirls.

The night kicked off, however, with Hummingbird getting kicked off after last week’s solid cover of Gavin DeGraw’s reality singing show staple “I Don’t Want to Be.” And while he was a bit surprised — and maybe a little hurt that despite selling millions of albums and singles with his world-famous boy band in the 1990s and early 2000s — the guesses were mostly of the NFL persuasion. Names including Deion Sanders, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were tossed out, before matchbox twenty’s Rob Thomas and Uncle Kracker were hurled into the mix. He should have been a bit annoyed, since the man under the towering wings and headpiece was none other than *NSYNC‘s Chris Kirkpatrick.

Before his elimination, Billboard spoke to Kirkpatrick about getting razzed by bandmate — and fellow Masked veteran — Joey Fatone, figuring out a whole new way to perform, and why he’s totally fine with the transition from freaking-out teen girls to screaming moms in his audience.

Did you watch the show before coming on?

I definitely watched it — Joey was on it — so I had to tune in [then] to understand what he was doing. I’ve definitely seen a lot of episodes.

Joey did OK when he was on the first season. Was there any way for you to, low-key, ask his advice or get pointers?

I tried to keep it really close to the hip, which was kind of hard. I knew a bunch of people who’ve been on it, like Chris Daughtry, and it took everything in my power not to say, “Hey, give me some hints, help me out, tell me what they’re looking for.” The only person who knew was my wife.

Gavin’s song is s staple of singing competition shows. Why did you pick it and what were you trying to get across musically?

I picked that song because I wanted to go in a different direction. I figured I’m known for my high falsetto with the band and I thought I should go with something lower and different so they wouldn’t immediately know who I am. Though I was watching on Twitter and a lot of people were like, “I sure like Hummingbird on my feed!” I had to be like, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” A lot of true fans knew and they said they knew it was me the minute I opened my mouth. Certain bands have a following where fans know your voice so well inside and out that you can put on any costume and mask and they’ll know who it is.

That’s a testament to your talent, no?

Yes. I wanted to change it up a bit and do something different than what they might think I would do. It is pretty flattering they knew right away. 

You’re used to bouncing around stage while singing, but it definitely looked like those giant wings and head made that harder. 

The wings and that large head definitely slowed me down. We even went over some choreo in rehearsals and in doing it it was so hard… I was hitting people with those wings and I had to have modifications [on the costume] so I could even walk. When I first walked out, it was hitting me in the back of the legs and I couldn’t move at all.

Plus, you’re 5’9″ according to the Internet, but I assume it’s fun to get closer to 6 feet tall, right?

Oh man, it was so insane. Not only was it tall, but it was also long because it had that long beak and the wings. So when I was walking around, it was like 3-D Tetris, trying to fit around and under things in the hallway [backstage], like, “Can I fit through this?” Anyone who is on the show will tell you that being in that costume is so hard. But the weight of it alone — between the head and wings — it was really weighing me down. I’m used to just singing and dancing, but adding the costume — vocally you really have to change almost everything you’re used to doing in performing.

If I’m being honest, the guesses were kind of weird and oddly sports-focused. How did you feel about that?

When they first started suggesting them I thought, “Man, did I sound bad?” I’m thinking, “I’m a singer, this is what I do — I may be in a costume, but this is what I do!” When they were guessing the sports guys, I was like, “Man, I think I must have done something wrong!” It was Johnny Manziel, Peyton Manning, but then when they said Rob Thomas and Uncle Kracker, that made me feel better.

Have you heard from any former bandmates who knew it was you? Joey made it to episode 8 in season 1, so surely he must have known it was you.

Oh yeah, Joey definitely texted me and was like, “So how was The Masked Singer? I was like, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” and he said, “whatever, Hummingbird.” I couldn’t even acknowledge it, but he said I sounded good and that I should be proud. When you sing with a guy for 25 years they definitely know your voice.

You’re not the first boy bander to do the show — they’ve had Nick Carter, Bobby Brown, Hanson, Nick Lachey — why do you think it appeals to former boy band members?

I just think it’s fun, whimsical. It’s something different we’re not used to doing. We’re used to walking out  and doing choreography and singing our parts. This was almost like being stripped-down just to the voice and so you have to just sing and be who you are vocally. That was really tough. I was sitting with the vocal coach, who is amazing, and they were helping me understand how even with the heaviness of the costume you can still “hear” facial expressions in a song. But, for the most part, we wouldn’t get to really interact with the audience or people at home visually, so I had to try and figure out working the song as the character more than as myself.

You’ve sold 70 million albums with *NSYNC and are instantly recognizable to a whole generation, so were you a bit disappointed to get bounced so early? To be fair, Lil Wayne was one and done as well.

I think if the format was different I would have been really disappointed. But the fact that you had four on [one episode] and only one person won that show. If I look at it as I came in third to last, instead of last, at least I made the final two. Listening to Harp… she was amazing. I was like, “My time is done.”

What’s next for you, what are you working on?

I’ver been doing a Pop 2000 tour, which has been so much fun to host and do a couple songs [alongside Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath (another Masked veteran), LFO, Ryan Cabrera and David Cook]. It’s been a really fun, busy year that started with me doing Big Brother and then I did a commercial or two, then filmed an episode of Cribs [reboot] and I have some other things in the works. 

We’re just a few years away from *NSYNC’s 30th anniversary. Can you believe it’s been that long since you guys first blew up?

Man, when you say it like that, you kind of put things in perspective. I don’t think about it that way, but when you put it in that timeframe… the way I see it is if I do these shows or different events, you can always tell by the fans. It wasn’t what it was in the ’90s or 2000s, not teenage girls, but now moms and teenage girls looking at you like, “I have no idea who you are but my mom knows who you are.” It’s cool because I can’t tell you how many people I talk to who said, “I was in high school and couldn’t afford a ticket or it was too far away, but now I can afford a ticket and a T-shirt and drinks with my friends.” They get to have fun with their friends and relive their youth.